Improvement in car-couplings



'W. F. STARR.

Bar-Coupling.

' Patented-Feb. 16,1875.

WITNESSES ATTORNEYS THE GRAPHIC CD.PHOTO-LlTH-39&41 PARK PLACLNX Unrrnn S'rarns NfL lFIQ WILLIAM FREDERICK STARR, OF ST. JOHN, CANADA.

IMPROVEMENT IN CAR-COUPLINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No 159,975, dated February 16, 1875; application filed December 19, 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM F. STARR, of St. John, in the Province of New Brunswick and Dominion of Canada, have invented a new and valuable Improvement in Car- Gouplers; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon.

Figure 1 of the drawing is a representation of a top plan View of my car-coupler; and Figs. 2 and 3 are side views of the same.

My invention consists in certain improvements in car'couplers, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

In the annexed drawings, A designates a wooden extension, of suitable dimensions, which is rigidly secured in any suitable manner to the ends of two cars.

This extension may, however, be a part of the frame-work of the platform or floor of a car, and it is designed to afford bearings for the shaft of a vertically-vibrating coupling link or loop, B, hereinafter described.

One of the lateral faces of this extension is provided with a strong metallic plate, a, which, as well as a rigid barbed coupling-arm, O, is securely fastened thereto by means of bolts 1), as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

These coupling arms are of iron, either wrought, cast, or malleable, or they may be of steel, and they consist of a shank, 0, having a notch, c, and a barbed head, D, of which the point or nose cl extends downwardly a certain distance below the lower horizontal edges of the arms, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, for a purpose hereinafter made clear.

E represents a bolt passing horizontally through registering perforations in plates at, extensions A, and couplingarms 0, upon which is hinged and secured, in any suitable manner, a verticallyvibrating metallic U- shaped loop, B, of suitable strength and width.

When two cars are caused to come together for the purpose of being coupled, the loops B will ascend the upper inclined edge d of barb D, and will finally fall into notch c behind the shoulder 0, when an effective coupling will be found to have been made.

A coupling having been thus effected, links B, being of considerable width, will allow the cars to sway from side to side without exposing the arms 0 to be bent or broken; and when, from inequalities in the track, one car is raised higher than the other, or from violent jolting the same effect is produced, one or the other of the links will be engaged with the arms, and a casual uncoupling is thereby rendered impossible. In the event of one of the cars becoming upset, an uncoupling would be immediately effected.

F represents an endwise movable U-shaped uncoupling device, vertically arranged in guides f f on the coupling-arms O, the legs g g of which are connected by a cross-bar, h, upon which the ends 1' of the coupling-links rest, as shown in Fig. 1, when the cars are coupled. Leg 9 of this device extends upward a suitable distance, and its upper end is provided with a slot, '5, adapted to receive the weight end of an actuating lever, by means of which the uncoupler is operated by a trainhand at the side of the car.

When the uncoupler F is actuated-that is, raised by a lever, as above described, or by a chain extending to the top of a car-the links or loops will be vibrated upward above the barbs D of coupling-arms O, as shown. in Fig. 3, thereby effecting an uncoupling when the cars are moved apart; and if the lever or chain be let go, the uncoupler will automatically fall to the position shown in Fig. 2, set ready for use for a second actuation.

Points d, as was above mentioned, extend down below the lower horizontal edge of the arms 0, thus allowing my improved coupler to be used in cars of different heights; but where the cars are of the same height, points d are not necessary, and will be dispensed with.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The lifting-loop F, provided with the cross-bar h, and operating in guides f, all com bined substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. In a car-coupler, the vertically-vibrating In testimony that I claim the above I have coupling-link B, and the rigid. barbed and hereunto subscribed my name in the presence notched coupling-arms O, in combination with of two witnesses.

the lifting-loop F, provided with cross-bars h, WILLIAM FREDERICK STARR. so that both links may be uncoupled at one Witnesses:

and the same operation, substantially as de- 7 W. PENISTON STARR,

scribed. J. A. HOYT. 

